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The app uses the iOS contact list extensively to send ‘Thinking of You’ push and sms messages. Apple requires that you request permission from the user before you can access the address book, below is a code snippet showing how that is done…

I’ve been working on an AR (augmented reality) application for iOS and thought I would share some of the available software libraries and devices for iOS.

Hardware

Although an iPhone is not as ‘hands free’ as a dedicated AR device (Moverio, Vuzix, or the Meta SpaceGlasses) there are interesting hardware solutions to use your iPhone or Android smart phone as a AR client…

The Durovis Dive works with any Android or iOS smartphone featuring a gyroscope and an accelerometer and a display not larger than 5 inches. You just insert your smartphone, start the application and adjust the lenses to your eyes.

You can construct your own FOV2GO Model D Viewer – for the iPhone 4/4S, the Samsung Galaxy Note, or most Android smart phones – out of foam board and a couple of plastic lenses. Just download the instructions and the appropriate template.

This weekend I won 2nd place at the AppHack Austin with ShareMesh – an iOS based encrypted peer to peer messaging app that does not require an internet connection to operate. The app used the new iOS 7 features iBeacon and Multipeer Connectivity to handle discovery and communication between devices.

I had a great time and there were a lot of interesting projects and very talented people working on them (see a list at hackathon.io).

It is hosted at Capital Factory – a start-up incubator with 50,000 square feet of amazing work space.

I get about 24 hours to turn an idea into an app, some of the ones I’m looking at are…

ghost net – an encrypted peer to peer communications layer that lets users exchange messages/pictures between smartphones without using the internet or any other means detectable by totalitarian governments (Egypt, or NSA)

Arduino Bridge – software to link an iPhone as a sensor platform the the DIY chips and maker projects that use the Adruino

iDead – live action zombie game based on location of your iPhone

Crowd video processing – upload pictures of an event from all participants – stitch together into single browse-able panoramic / 3d scene

video recognition – use open source video processing software to train your iPhone to recognize objects that walk past the camera (trigger an alert when ‘lady in red’ walks by)

iPhone/robotic integration -use sphero or romo to link with an iPhone and do interesting things (room mapping, object manipulation, etc) and/or games

* YourTeacher.com – We continue to be the iOS app development arm for yourteacher.com. They have over thirty titles in the Apple App store – majority of which have 4.5+ average ratings with literally hundreds of thousands of downloads per app.

* Just Picture It – created in partnership with the Mason Software Company. It evolves a mobile photo sharing into a word game with friends and family. In a turn-based game you can play in single and multiplayer mode.

Just Picture It uses the Parse.com api extensively for user authentication, push notifications, and storage of games and messages.